Washington County, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 Washington County Courthouse inSandersville | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofGeorgia | |
| Coordinates:32°58′N82°47′W / 32.97°N 82.79°W /32.97; -82.79 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | February 25, 1784; 242 years ago (1784) |
| Named after | George Washington |
| Seat | Sandersville |
| Largest city | Sandersville |
| Area | |
• Total | 684 sq mi (1,770 km2) |
| • Land | 678 sq mi (1,760 km2) |
| • Water | 5.9 sq mi (15 km2) 0.9% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 19,988 |
• Estimate (2024) | 19,834 |
| • Density | 29.5/sq mi (11.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 12th |
| Website | washingtoncountyga |
Washington County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofGeorgia. As of the2020 census, the population was 19,988.[1][2] Thecounty seat isSandersville.[3] The county was established on February 25, 1784. It was named forRevolutionary War general andPresident of the United StatesGeorge Washington.[4]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 684 square miles (1,770 km2), of which 678 square miles (1,760 km2) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km2) (0.9%) is water.[5]
The western portion of Washington County, west of a north-to-south line running throughSandersville, is located in the LowerOconee River sub-basin of theAltamaha River basin. The northeastern portion of the county, north ofRiddleville, is located in the UpperOgeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin, while the southeastern portion, centered onHarrison, is located in theOhoopee River sub-basin of theAltamaha River basin.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 4,552 | — | |
| 1800 | 10,300 | 126.3% | |
| 1810 | 9,940 | −3.5% | |
| 1820 | 10,627 | 6.9% | |
| 1830 | 9,820 | −7.6% | |
| 1840 | 10,565 | 7.6% | |
| 1850 | 11,766 | 11.4% | |
| 1860 | 12,698 | 7.9% | |
| 1870 | 15,842 | 24.8% | |
| 1880 | 21,964 | 38.6% | |
| 1890 | 25,237 | 14.9% | |
| 1900 | 28,227 | 11.8% | |
| 1910 | 28,174 | −0.2% | |
| 1920 | 28,147 | −0.1% | |
| 1930 | 25,030 | −11.1% | |
| 1940 | 24,230 | −3.2% | |
| 1950 | 21,012 | −13.3% | |
| 1960 | 18,903 | −10.0% | |
| 1970 | 17,480 | −7.5% | |
| 1980 | 18,842 | 7.8% | |
| 1990 | 19,112 | 1.4% | |
| 2000 | 21,176 | 10.8% | |
| 2010 | 21,187 | 0.1% | |
| 2020 | 19,988 | −5.7% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 19,834 | [7] | −0.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1880[9] 1890-1910[10] 1920-1930[11] 1930-1940[12] 1940-1950[13] 1960-1980[14] 1980-2000[15] 2010[1] 2020[2] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[16] | Pop 2010[17] | Pop 2020[18] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 9,620 | 9,339 | 8,412 | 45.43% | 44.08% | 42.09% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 11,233 | 11,124 | 10,698 | 53.05% | 52.50% | 53.52% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 35 | 19 | 37 | 0.17% | 0.09% | 0.19% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 55 | 104 | 76 | 0.26% | 0.49% | 0.38% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.01% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 11 | 26 | 30 | 0.05% | 0.12% | 0.15% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 86 | 167 | 401 | 0.41% | 0.79% | 2.01% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 134 | 407 | 334 | 0.63% | 1.92% | 1.67% |
| Total | 21,176 | 21,187 | 19,988 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 19,988.[19] The median age was 42.2 years, with 21.4% of residents under the age of 18 and 19.1% of residents 65 years of age or older.[20] For every 100 females there were 102.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.8 males age 18 and over.[21] 35.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 64.5% lived in rural areas.[20]
The racial makeup of the county was 42.4% White, 53.7%Black or African American, 0.2%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Asian, 0.0%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 2.5% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.7% of the population.[19]
There were 7,506 households in the county, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 37.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[21] Of those households, 5,315 were families.[21]
There were 8,556 housing units, of which 12.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.6% were owner-occupied and 32.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%.[21]
The county is served by the Washington County School District, which includes:[23]
The county is also the location of one privately run school:
The 1933 short story "The People's Choice" byErskine Caldwell is set in Washington County, where the story's protagonist is a popular local politician elected again and again as the county's tax assessor.
In 1992, thePig Monument was erected in the county, near Oconee off of Georgia State Route 272. The monument commemorates a 1933 event where several residents of the county gathered together to help a local farmer rescue a pig that had fallen down adry well.
The biography of one of the main characters (Grant Alexander) in the 2011 console gameX-Men: Destiny states that they were born in Sandersville, Georgia.
Like most other majority-minority counties in theSouth, Washington County has primarily backed Democratic Party candidates for most of its history. Democratic margins of victory in presidential elections were far greater prior to 1964, but the county has only failed to back a Democratic presidential candidate five times in its history. However, no candidate of any party sinceBill Clinton in 1996 has managed to win the county by a margin of 1,000 votes or greater. It was the most Black county in Georgia to vote forDonald Trump in 2024.
For elections to theUnited States House of Representatives, Washington County is part ofGeorgia's 12th congressional district, currently represented byRick Allen. For elections to theGeorgia State Senate, Washington County is part ofDistrict 26.[24] For elections to theGeorgia House of Representatives, Washington County is part ofDistrict 128.[25]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 28 | 2.51% | 920 | 82.51% | 167 | 14.98% |
| 1916 | 18 | 1.60% | 954 | 84.57% | 156 | 13.83% |
| 1920 | 118 | 9.42% | 1,134 | 90.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 130 | 13.47% | 758 | 78.55% | 77 | 7.98% |
| 1928 | 472 | 29.24% | 1,142 | 70.76% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 9 | 0.46% | 1,923 | 99.33% | 4 | 0.21% |
| 1936 | 149 | 10.34% | 1,286 | 89.24% | 6 | 0.42% |
| 1940 | 253 | 18.41% | 1,112 | 80.93% | 9 | 0.66% |
| 1944 | 351 | 24.29% | 1,094 | 75.71% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 204 | 14.79% | 1,169 | 84.77% | 6 | 0.44% |
| 1952 | 795 | 25.03% | 2,381 | 74.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 602 | 19.22% | 2,530 | 80.78% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 956 | 32.30% | 2,004 | 67.70% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 2,296 | 55.63% | 1,830 | 44.34% | 1 | 0.02% |
| 1968 | 1,247 | 26.43% | 1,443 | 30.58% | 2,029 | 43.00% |
| 1972 | 3,901 | 75.79% | 1,246 | 24.21% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 1,657 | 30.01% | 3,865 | 69.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 1,822 | 33.97% | 3,452 | 64.35% | 90 | 1.68% |
| 1984 | 2,887 | 48.76% | 3,034 | 51.24% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 2,752 | 51.12% | 2,615 | 48.58% | 16 | 0.30% |
| 1992 | 2,384 | 35.45% | 3,508 | 52.16% | 833 | 12.39% |
| 1996 | 2,348 | 33.94% | 4,057 | 58.64% | 514 | 7.43% |
| 2000 | 3,162 | 47.26% | 3,476 | 51.95% | 53 | 0.79% |
| 2004 | 4,081 | 51.93% | 3,733 | 47.51% | 44 | 0.56% |
| 2008 | 4,216 | 47.49% | 4,607 | 51.89% | 55 | 0.62% |
| 2012 | 4,035 | 45.76% | 4,714 | 53.46% | 68 | 0.77% |
| 2016 | 4,149 | 48.90% | 4,200 | 49.50% | 136 | 1.60% |
| 2020 | 4,668 | 49.24% | 4,743 | 50.03% | 69 | 0.73% |
| 2024 | 4,824 | 50.82% | 4,643 | 48.91% | 26 | 0.27% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 4,630 | 49.90% | 4,477 | 48.25% | 172 | 1.85% |
| 2020 | 4,161 | 48.79% | 4,368 | 51.21% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 2,376 | 25.82% | 3,046 | 33.10% | 3,780 | 41.08% |
| 2020 | 4,663 | 49.64% | 4,730 | 50.36% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2022 | 3,904 | 50.29% | 3,793 | 48.86% | 66 | 0.85% |
| 2022 | 3,667 | 49.41% | 3,754 | 50.59% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2022 | 4,098 | 52.58% | 3,665 | 47.02% | 31 | 0.40% |
Places adjacent to Washington County, Georgia | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofWashington County, Georgia,United States | ||
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| Other unincorporated communities | ||
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